L'Affenadou
Our story
Welcome to the Mas de l’Affenadou at Gilles and Nelly’s, ecolabelled in 2014 located in Villefort, small Mediterranean village at the foat of the Mont Lozere. We are at the heart of the Cevennes, listed in 2011 in the world heritage of the Unesco for the beauty of its landscape. Ideal place for walking, for open air activities, nautical sports, and for discorvering nice villages.
Our adventure started in 1996. While walking, we met the Mas de l’Affenadou, built in the XVIe century which was only ruins then. Because we wanted to preserve the authenticity and the serenity of the place, we learnt to work with the traditional and local materials of our ancestors: schist, granite, lauze and chestnut tree. Little by little, we have restored the sleeping beauty into a rural gite with five bedrooms and the possibility to eat local products or even those we have ourselves prepared.
We try, day after day, to keep this place as peaceful and serene as possible. Our keywords are conviviality, relaxation and well being.
Our commitments
A few years ago, we committed ourselves to:
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Ecology: we got the European label in 2014.
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Well being: I got a training in massage and relaxation. I also give energetic care.
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Personal development: Gilles is a specialist in PNL. Therefore, we have fixed up a massage room, a training room and a heated swimming pool.
Our agricultural activities
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Chetnuts
The 15 hectares around the Mas remained abandoned for about fifty years. Gilles started to restore 4 hectares of chestnut- trees. We keep some for cooking them with directly. We make jam with the rest of them.
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Garden and orchard.
A terrace, with no more brambles and nettles, was turned into a vegetable garden for the meals we serve to our hosts. Around the house, we have planted fruit trees. We can make our own fruit-juices, jams, fruits in syrup.
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The ducks
For eleven years, I fed and prepared fat ducks.
Today somebody else does it for me but I still make them into conserves confits, fritons, patés, rillettes and foie gras. You can state and appreciate at our table.